Molly hadn't told Alex what was in Gene's letter. In fact, they were hardly speaking. Molly blamed Alex for being a coward and for driving away the man she thought of as her dad. Alex guessed because she was so young that she didn't understand why she had effectively turned down Gene's proposal. That and the fact Molly was trying to hide she was heartbroken at losing Gene. She was missing him desperately: watching horse racing with him on a Saturday afternoon, going out for milkshakes at McDonalds on a Friday after school, Gene pretending to understand her Physics homework when she asked him about it...
The letter was so typically Gene: short and simple. It said how much he loved her, how much he loved Alex, how he'd acted like an idiot, how much he'd miss them, how sorry he was... then at the bottom, his new address, his new phone number and the new station where he'd been placed. He hadn't gone far, about half an hour by road, to West Hampstead CID. It was a slightly complicated journey on the London Underground involving two changes so Molly decided to skip school. She'd been doing that a lot recently, that and she'd been suspended for punching a girl in the face when she'd made a snide comment about 'Molly's daddy leaving her... again.' Though she would never have skipped school in 2008, Molly wasn't exactly how sure how 'real' this 1980's world was so she thought that gave her license to push the boundaries. Molly knew Alex was worried sick by her recent and dramatic change in behaviour but she absolutely refused to cave and refused to apologise. So she told Alex she was on a school trip to see 'An Inspector Calls' and her friend Grace's Mum would drop her off later.
The tube journey was a little scary. She hadn't been on the Underground in the eighties thanks to Gene driving her everywhere she needed to go. It took an hour and a half but she managed. Checking her watch, she saw it was five o'clock and concluded that would mean Gene would be leaving work soon. All she had to do was wait outside for him...
When Gene emerged, his arm was wrapped around the neck of some little bleached blonde.
"Dad?" Molly was a little shocked.
So was Gene. He quickly and guiltily disentangled himself.
"You never told me you had kids!" the blonde pointed out.
Molly expected him to refute it but instead he said,
"Well, I do."
The blonde promptly stormed off.
"Sorry." Molly bit her lip, wondering if this was such a good idea. Would Gene be angry at her? Did he even want to see her? After all, it had been two weeks and he hadn't tried to contact her or Alex.
The huge bear hug he pulled her into told her everything she needed to know. "What are you doing here?" he asked. God, he'd missed her so much, both of them. "Is everything okay?"
She drew back, tears in her eyes, so relieved to see him again. "Please... come home."
"Oh, Molly, love, I can't..."
"Because of the blonde?"
"God, no! She's rebound sex."
Molly looked shocked.
"What? Your Mum isn't having rebound sex with some Thatcherite wanker?"
"No." Molly wiped away some of her tears. "Actually, we're not talking."
"Why?" It was Gene's turn to be stunned. How could they not be talking? Molly and Alex were so close, they were always chattering on about the most inane things, laughing and smiling together and he loved it when they did so.
"Because she ruined everything!"
That was like a knife in the heart for him. Alex clearly hadn't told Molly anything. It just made him love her and miss her more. It was so like Alex: wanting Molly to see the good in everyone, wanting to protect her, to not let her know what a bastard he'd been...
"Have you eaten yet?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm starving. I missed lunch; it took me hours to get here!"
"Did you miss French?" Gene asked sternly. He'd memorised Molly's timetable and knew she had French on a Friday afternoon and that and she hated that lesson.
Molly just nodded. "Don't be mad at me, I wanted to see you."
Gene sighed. He knew Alex would kill him if she knew Molly had skipped school to see him. "How about McDonalds?"
"Sounds good."
Gene got Molly a Happy Meal and a coke along with some really bad chips (that looked and tasted suspiciously like cardboard) and some equally bad coffee for himself. They found a table and ate in silence for a while.
"Why can't you come home?" Molly pressurised when she'd finished eating.
"Because it's complicated."
"So uncomplicate it!" Molly pouted and then began to fiddle with the toy surprise that had come with her food.
Gene looked at her. "Did she not tell you what I said to her? How much I screwed up."
"No... it's her fault anyway!"
"It isn't, Molly."
"But you spent so much on that ring. Where is it anyway?"
"Bottom of the Thames, I threw it in there."
Molly decided to try again. "Please come home. She misses you. She cries a lot."
"I'm not bloody surprised; I really was a total bastard to her."
She ripped a packet of sugar open and began making shapes with the crystals on the cheap, Formica table. "She said you didn't want us anymore, that you didn't want me. But that's bullshit she made up, right?"
Then she saw the guilt in his eyes.
He reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Molls, I was angry and hurting and I didn't mean a word of it."
She snatched her hand back. "Right."
"I miss you so much."
"So come home," Molly asked for the third time.
Gene sighed and pulled his car keys from his coat pocket. "Come on, kid, I'll drive you home."
They sat outside Luigi's in silence.
"Sure you won't change your mind?" Molly asked, giving it one more shot. "Mum wants to see you, I know she does."
He shook his head. "Just go and give your Mum a cuddle, tell her you love her, okay? She needs you."
Molly nodded, tears sparkling in her eyes.
"Come on love," he said, giving her a hug. "I'll come and see you in a few weeks."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Molly left, too upset to say 'goodbye,' her mind spinning. She let herself in, finding Alex on the sofa, staring into a cold cup of tea, her dinner untouched on the coffee table in front of her. Her eyes looked red raw.
"How was the play?" she asked Molly, her voice dull. After all, she wasn't even sure she'd answer her.
Molly felt the tears running down her face, she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry, Mum, I love you."
In an instant, she was wrapped in her Mum's arms.
"I'm sorry too," Alex told her, fighting the urge to cry herself. "You were right. If I hadn't said no..."
It was Molly who drew back first and wiped away a rivulet of mascara that had worked its way down Alex's cheek. "We're going to be okay," Molly told her. Realizing she would have to be strong she assured, "I'll take care of you. It's always been just you and me, right?"
Alex nodded. Ever since Molly was six months old, after Pete had left it had been only the two of them. Maybe if she had Molly, she would be okay; she'd survive in this world. Maybe Molly would become her new constant. After all, all that should matter was that Molly was happy and she decided she would at least try to pull herself together for her.
Molly linked her little finger with Alex's. "Unbreakable, Mum. I promise from now on."
Alex flinched inwardly at her words as Molly put her arm around her shoulders, glancing at the uneaten food in front of her. "Mum, are you not eating?" She squeezed and could feel her prominent shoulder blades, even through the thick jumper she was wearing. "You're practically skin and bone! Promise me you'll eat."
Alex grasped Molly's hand, determined to be a better Mother to her daughter than she had been since Gene left. She would at least try to function and she nodded. "Okay."
"Let's go to 'Luigi's' and get you something to eat, yeah?" Molly suggested.
She nodded. Now she'd made peace with Molly she felt better already.
Molly collected one of Alex's warmer coats and wrapped it around her Mum's shoulders. Supporting her frail frame with an arm around Alex's waist, they made their way down to the restaurant. When Alex paused at the top of the stairs, Molly asked,
"Mum? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Alex assured her as she followed Molly down the steps. She couldn't really have seen Gene's Quattro parked on the opposite side of the road, could she?